Just got my RX8, its only got 500 miles, whenever I take it for a drive I smell something burning, its definetly coming from the engine bay, but i'm not quite sure what it is...

Could it be because the car is still breaking-in?

 

its just all the protective coats burning off. fresh plastic heating up will make that smell.

 

What Danomite said. I've got about 4000 miles on mine and the smell is slowly going away but it was pretty bad for awhile especially after sitting in the garage for awhile after a long drive.

 

yea the smell is back in mine after the rebuilt my tranny don't know why its back though.

 

probably the oil on the technicians hand burning off.

 

Do a search on the words "Cosmolene" and username "Gomez" .

 

I've now got my RX8 (10,000 miles) 1.3 years old - mint condition - however, whilst I am delighted with the car, I have noticed a strange metallic type burning smell - usually just after reversing combined with a spiritied rev. The cabin is invaded with this smell - strange ! I would not expect this in a car with 10,000 miles - any clues?

 

Good to hear that the smell should go away. I just bought a new left over 04 rx-8 and there is no new car smell (it was built in April 2004), but there is a burning kind of oily? smell. I was concerned it won't go away, but I feel better now.

 

The fuel-air mixture in this car is very rich, particularly at startup, and some of that mixture exits the exhaust system as incompletely burned hydrocarbons (i.e., gasoline and oil). Check out the black gook on your tail pipes. So, when you rev the engine and back the car into the fumes containing the incompletely burned hydrocarbons, it will smell. Maybe that's what you're smelling.

 

You might also want to look under the car to see if there is anything stuck to your exhaust. I had a plastic bag that melted and fused somewhere around the catalytic converter, and everytime I started the car there was a burning smell.

 

Your diagonosis was correct...

BTW-2200 miles on the car now and the smell is gone